Pope Francis visited the female penitentiary of Rebibbia in Rome on Thursday (March 28) to celebrate the Holy Thursday ritual of feet washing, continuing the pontiff’s tradition of visiting marginalized groups on the Thursday before Easter.
It’s the first time a pope has washed the feet of a group made up solely of women.
The penitentiary is among the largest in Europe and houses 360 women and one child. The inmates have looked forward to the pope’s arrival with excitement, according to prison chaplain Don Andrea Carosella. “For them it’s a symbol of great attention, a symbol that shows that the pope thinks about them and is close to them,” Carosella told the news agency of the Italian bishops, SIR.
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